Bang!
Leon Zheng, sitting at the table, his face twisted with rage, suddenly slammed his palm down, making a deafening noise.
The sudden outburst startled Susan Xu and the others sitting beside him.
Claire Zheng and the other relatives glanced at Joy Zheng, each with a different expression.
Leon Zheng stared hard at Joy Zheng’s face, as if remembering the same stubborn girl from over a decade ago!
"Seventeen years! All because you were angry, you ran off to some poor backwater to be a primary school teacher and suffered all kinds of hardship. Was it really worth it?"
"Is there even a place for me, your big brother, in your eyes anymore?"
Leon Zheng’s tone was cold and sharp, just like his outbursts back in the day.
"I owe the Zheng family, I owe Mom and Dad, but I don’t regret it."
Joy Zheng shook her head, biting her lip.
Facing Leon Zheng, Joy’s eyes reddened, but she didn’t back down. She met his gaze head-on, unwavering.
"Not regretting, huh?"
Leon Zheng took a deep breath. "Our Zheng family raised you and had high hopes for you. We paved your career path—graduate from teacher training, enter the education system, and within ten years you’d be chief of Oceanport New District’s Education Bureau. In twenty years, you’d be department-level. In thirty, you’d be vice-minister at least!"
"But what did you do? For some random man, you took his bastard child and ran off to some dump to be a primary school teacher! You’re unbelievable!"
Leon’s eyes were fierce.
If Joy Zheng had followed the family’s plan, she’d be in a high position by now, and the Zheng family’s power would’ve grown immensely.
"He’s not some random man. Evan isn’t a bastard, and I don’t think being a primary school teacher is shameful at all."
Joy Zheng shook her head, her gaze still firm.
But faced with Leon Zheng’s domineering aura, Joy still felt a bit exhausted.
Since she came back, Leon Zheng had mostly avoided her. Clearly, he still couldn’t let go of what happened back then.
The atmosphere was tense, like a powder keg ready to blow.
Faye Zheng watched coldly from the side, while Jason Zheng’s eyes were full of irritation.
Leon Zheng was about to speak again, but then someone stepped out from behind Joy Zheng, moving forward with calm, steady steps.
The young man walked up, pulled a chair behind Joy Zheng without a word, and smiled, "Mom, have a seat and talk."
Joy Zheng was momentarily stunned, but seeing Evan Lin’s unusually calm face, she hesitated, then finally nodded and sat down.
"Who said you could sit down!"
Leon Zheng glared, his eyes shifting to Evan Lin, sizing him up from head to toe. "So you’re that bastard?"
"Uncle Leon, it’s him! At the station, he got people to beat me up!" Faye Zheng immediately shouted, her face full of grievance as soon as Evan Lin stepped out.
"This little brat even slapped me in the face in public today! He has no respect for his elders! I absolutely won’t allow him into our Zheng family!" Susan Xu’s face twisted with anger, her tone vicious.
"You still dare to talk? Who told you to butt in!" Jason Zheng’s face darkened when he saw Evan Lin step up, itching to jump out and teach him a lesson.
"Evan..."
Joy Zheng tugged Evan Lin’s hand, worried.
Evan Lin gently shook his head, turned, and walked to the dining table.
Everyone’s eyes were on Evan Lin.
Claire Zheng’s eyes were full of worry, while Faye Zheng looked forward to seeing Evan crash and burn in front of Leon.
Right now, Leon Zheng was the most domineering figure in the Zheng family.
"What’s your name?"
Evan Lin looked at Leon Zheng, his tone calm and unhurried.
"You think you’re qualified to ask my name?"
Leon Zheng’s face turned icy cold as he stared daggers at Evan Lin. "Don’t think that just because half your blood comes from the Zheng family, you’re really one of us!"
"Let me tell you, in the Zheng family, if I don’t give my approval, you’ll never be accepted here!"
"People like you are born with original sin! If it weren’t for you, the Zheng family would’ve soared long ago! Now you want to ride your mom’s coattails to come back? Dream on!"
Leon Zheng glared fiercely.
The air was thick with hostility.
Evan Lin’s face was calm as ever. He nodded slightly. "Half the blood in my veins is Zheng. If you put it that way, you’re not wrong."
Hearing Evan’s words, Leon Zheng looked even more contemptuous, thinking Evan was about to give in.
"Weren’t you so arrogant before? What, suddenly caving now?"
Faye Zheng kept sneering when she heard Evan’s words.
"Just admit you were wrong and kneel down! Do it properly!" Susan Xu snapped impatiently.
"Chickened out? Aren’t you supposed to read faces? Go look in the mirror and see what’s written on yours today!" Jason Zheng kept running his mouth.
If Leon Zheng weren’t here, Jason would’ve already gone after Evan Lin.
"So, you got people to beat up Faye. What, now you want to hit me too? I can see the anger in your eyes, but so what!"
"To you, the Zheng family is as high as a mountain! Maybe when your grandparents come back, for your mom’s sake, they’ll treat you better—but not me!"
"Remember this: My name is Leon Zheng. As long as I’m here, I might let your mom into the Zheng family, but you—never!"
"You will never, ever be one of us! Because half your blood comes from some lowborn man—a stain!"
The more Leon Zheng spoke, the angrier and colder his voice became.
"I didn’t want to kill anyone in front of my mom today, but since you put it that way, solving this is simple."
Evan Lin’s expression didn’t change. He casually picked up a fruit knife from the table—cold light flashed—and with one swift motion, he sliced open the artery in his right wrist.
Blood gushed out, pouring down in streams.
"Evan!"
Joy Zheng shot to her feet, her face contorted with shock at the sight. She tried to rush forward, but an invisible force held her back, unable to take another step.
"You—!"
Leon Zheng’s face changed, Jason Zheng’s eyes widened, Susan Xu turned pale, and Claire Zheng felt a sudden emptiness inside.
Faye Zheng stared at Evan Lin, watching the boy remain calm even as blood poured from his wrist.
Evan slammed his right hand down on the dining table. With a single blow, the solid wood table collapsed!
Crimson blood spread across the entire tabletop.
Leon Zheng was used to storms, but this moment left him utterly stunned.
"So what if this blood belongs to the Zheng family?"
"Leon Zheng? That’s not a good name."
"Compared to yours, you should remember mine instead."
Evan Lin reached out with his blood-soaked hand, grabbed Leon Zheng by the neck, his face expressionless and lips curled into a cold smile.
"My name is Evan Lin."
At that moment, a jet-black stretch Lincoln tore through the night, speeding toward them.
It roared like a wild beast in the darkness, its engine howling in the shadows.